This is my ONLY houseplant. I know absolutely nothing about houseplants. I am pretty sure it is an African Violet of some sort because that's what the sign said it was but does anybody know what kind it is? I purchased it at Home Depot which is a chain home improvement center in my area.
I don't know which African Violet that is (and yes, it certainly is one), but it sure is pretty! As far as I understand, African Violets are all the same species (Saintpaulia ionantha), but different in size, number of flower petals, color of flowers and foliage, variegation, etc. The different names are cultivars. And I don't think that all African Violets belong to a specific cultivar. Someone correct me if I'm wrong!
How long have you had it? I think African Violets are pretty easy to get the hang of. Just when you water it, don't use cold water, and don't get water on the leaves. Some people water them from below. Pretty soon you'll try propagating it (all I did was plant a leaf in dirt), and before you know it you'll have little African Violet babies all over! Have fun!
--DanaK
Hi Dana,
Thanks for the reply. I have had it only a week. That is probably why it is still alive and looking good. I do not have good luck with indoor plants and this is the first one I have had in at least 15 years. I was feeling adventuresome. Usually a cat chews them and then barfs everywhere, a kid knocks them over saying oops, my husband pushes them out of his way and bangs them into something else, or I forget to water them but this one is out of the household traffic and in a spot where I can't forget to pay attention to it. I believe I do have an ideal location for it behind my kitchen sink which is in a corner and gets both southern and eastern exposure. Aren't I supposed to be fertilizing it with something specifically for African Violets? Should I replant it in a special potting soil? I have been watering it from beneath. The little planter it came in was a double.
Thanks much,
Lauren
Hi Lauren,
Mine are behind my kitchen sink, too. I never neglect them there. You can get AV potting soil and AV fertilizer. I only recently got the special potting soil and almost never fertilize mine. I've heard they bloom more often and with more flowers if you do fertilize, so I've been meaning to try it to see how well it works. I'm just starting to really get into AVs, and until now I've done nothing special and they have done quite well, even blooming very regularly! I think you've done a fine job picking out your only houseplant! And another bonus: in case your cats do eat it, it's completely harmless to them. Have fun with it, and if you ever have any questions there are some real experts here on the AV forum to help. :)
--Dana
I've got to go to Menards tomorrow so I can pick up the AV potting soil and fertilizer. Thanks for mentioning it. I think I want the AV fertilizer to make sure it does keep blooming. I really don't have good luck with houseplants. Thanks for getting back to me.
That's a pretty one. I have a soft spot for blues.
I don't know how other people do it, but I generally fertilize things at a quarter of the strength they recommend. There are very few plants that I have that get the full treatment (those are ones that grow at a mad pace for 4 months and then do nothing - with no fertilizer - for the rest of the year). Pinching off dead blooms is a good habit to get into as well. To judge the amount of light, If the leaves start growing upwards, then you have too little. On the other hand, if the new leaves are scrunched up in the center, one reason for it could be too much light.
Love your description of what usually happens to your plants... but it's been 15 years! no usual about it anymore! lol. Hope this one grows well for you.
I bought the fertilizer today. They were out of the potting soil though. Glad you mentioned that it was a good idea to dilute the fertilizer as that is what I did at 50/50. I figured I could always add more if it responded but it appears I may have added too much. Next time I'll fertilize at a 1 to 4 ratio. So far, it's still alive and I already pinched off my first spent bloom! Thanks for the tips on leaf growth patterns. So far it is nice and compact.
Just thought I'd post an update on my little African Violet. It is doing remarkably well and I haven't killed it. Look at the color difference after adding dilluted AV fertilizer! Incredible difference! And it has grown! When do I need to repot?
Wow! That's a really pretty av. I, too, am new to av's and currently have two of them. I talked to someone down at the nursery about caring for them and I was told that they like to be somewhat rootbound so not repot them until the spring and then only going one size higher. As far as cats mowing plants down, I have one that specializes in that type of destruction and she has not touched either of them.
I got some good advice about repotting from Rob's Violet Barn (www.robsviolet.com). Unless you're up-potting a baby violet into a larger pot or trying to grow a show size violet, AV's don't need to be put into larger pots, but they do need repotting regularly. When my violets get more than 4 or 5 "rings" of leaves, I pinch some off (good for propagating!) so the plant can put more of its energy into blooming. Between pinching them back now and then and the fact that sometimes leaves just die off on me, the violet can develop a "neck" or stem that's bare of leaves above the soil line. This is where repotting comes in. Take the violet out of the pot and cut off the lowest part of the rootball (if the plant has a 1/2 inch neck, then cut about 1/2 inch off the bottom of the rootball). I also shake off any loose soil around the edges of the rootball, to make room for a little more fresh soil mix. Repot the violet in fresh potting mix , pushing the trimmed root ball to the bottom of the pot and adding potting soil to the top so that the "neck" is covered. The now-buried part of the stem will put out new roots. Happy violet!
I had to add a photo of "Big Blue" (not actually a named cultivar, but it's a plant with character, so it needed a name). I did put this one into a larger self-watering pot, and it's more than a foot across now. Fun!
-- Jill
